Kerala Extends Bar Timings to Midnight, 3 AM Window for 5-Star Hotels
Kerala Extends Bar Timings to Midnight, 3 AM Window for 5-Star Hotels
Kerala extends alcohol hours by two, allowing select FL3 five-star bars to stay open till 3 AM to boost MICE tourism amid election-season debate.
The Kerala government issued an extraordinary gazette extending the operating hours of bars and beer parlours by two hours, allowing them to run from 10 AM to midnight in the state. In addition, FL3 licensed bar hotels with a five-star classification can function till 3 AM, on payment of an annual rental of ₹5 lakh. The changes are part of a broader aim to promote Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism, destination weddings, international conferences, and other events, with amendments needed to the Foreign Liquor Rules, 1953 to facilitate these activities.
The move, announced ahead of the Assembly elections, has sparked political chatter and drawn mixed reactions from industry and community groups. Bar owners have long pressed for longer hours, arguing it would bolster business and tourism, while officials say the policy is targeted at boosting major events and investment.
The government’s order also contemplates allowing the sale of legal liquor in state-owned IT parks, a detail that adds to the policy’s tourism and investment orientation. However, the change has drawn criticism from religious authorities who say the liberalization could harm public health and social order, questioning whether it forms part of an election-related deal. The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council urged caution, stressing that tourists come to enjoy Kerala’s natural beauty and not merely the nightlife, and called for careful consideration of the policy’s broader impact.
